They've been on the market for years so if they were a real problem we'd know about it (they do run over some small wildlife; I posted a link on another thread).
This is simply one company coming late to a crowded market and hoping for some press.
From what I can tell, robotic lawnmowers currently more common in Europe than in the US. I don't think I've ever seen one in the US, but in Norway they seemed to be everywhere. Is there a reason for this disparity?
That was my first thought, although I wasn't sure that would explain the vast numbers of Americans who mow their own lawns. Although maybe it does, if you squint a little harder? If labor prices were higher, maybe more people would choose to do more paid work instead of mowing their own lawn?
I'm not sure though --- I think it might be that Americans tend to have a different relation to their lawns than Europeans. I was surprised to read that mowing your lawn on Sunday is illegal in Norway, with a silent robotic mower being a legal workaround: https://www.newsinenglish.no/2015/07/27/conflicts-arise-over...
I would guess our lawn sizes are larger on average. You have cities where there are no lawns, suburbs where they would have a use, and a lot of rural areas where the lawns are simply too large. It takes me 2 hours to mow my lawn using a riding lawnmower.
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[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 36.9 ms ] threadI wonder what the equivalent of that will be for the outdoors?
The safety implications worry me too. I'm surprised they don't discuss this in the article.
This is simply one company coming late to a crowded market and hoping for some press.
if (dogTurdContact) { wipe() }
I'm sure this isn't nearly as much of a problem as it is indoors.
Labor and capital(robotics) are substitutes. Thus in a cheap labor market (USA) anybody that would use a robot instead simply uses human landscapers.
It is quite common in the USA to see humans doing what would be automated work in First world countries.
I'm not sure though --- I think it might be that Americans tend to have a different relation to their lawns than Europeans. I was surprised to read that mowing your lawn on Sunday is illegal in Norway, with a silent robotic mower being a legal workaround: https://www.newsinenglish.no/2015/07/27/conflicts-arise-over...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World
I get what you're going for, HN loves to hate on the US.
> It is quite common in the USA to see humans doing what would be automated work in other First world countries.
I get what you're going for, HN loves to not give any benefit of doubt.
Are these safe enough to justify use?
I don't know why they are uncommon here as lawns are just as popular as they are in other countries.